Bed frame with headboard support brace

ABSTRACT

A metallic bed frame of the Hollywood type is constructed to provide a support for a headboard by means of a pair of pivoted angle braces of generally flat stock pivotally secured to the side rails of the bed frame and having an ear in a transverse plane for attachment to the headboard to provide a strut-like brace for the headboard.

United States Patent [191 Feldmau 1 BED FRAME WITH HEADBOARD SUPPORT BRACE [75] Inventor: Sol Feldman, Philadelphia, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Oxford Metal Products Co., Inc.,

Philadelphia, Pa.

[22] Filed: June 19, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 264,054

[52] US. Cl 5/131, 5/200 C, 5/203,

5/305 [51] Int. Cl A47c 19/00 [58] Field of Search 5/53 R, 99 R, 99 B,

5/112-114, 131, 132, 178, 179, 203, 279 R, 200 R, 280, 200 C, 304, 305; 248/236, 247, 249, 250; 108/160; 247/188.91; 297/449 [4 1 Oct. 9, 1973 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 177,771 5/1876 Tottingham 5/114 858,475 7/1907 Scanlan 5/114 Primary Examiner-James C. Mitchell Att0rneyMorton C. Jacobs 5 7 ABSTRACT A metallic bed frame of thv Hollywood type is constructed to provide a support for a headboard by means of a pair of pivoted angle braces of generally flat stock pivotally secured to thv side rails of the bed frame and having an ear in a transverse plane for attachment to thv headboard to provide a strut-like brace for the headboard.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures BED FRAME WITH HEADBOARD SUPPORT BRACE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to metal bed frames of the Hollywood type, and more particularly to such a bed frame having a brace for attaching and supporting a headboard thereto.

Metal frame box spring and mattress supports of the Hollywood type have been used to provide a lightweight and collapsible bed frame with minimum bulk. It has been a common practice to attach a headboard to such a bed frame by means of one or more fasteners connected to each side of the headboard through metal, vertically extended end-plates attached to the side rails of the bed frame. However, such means of attachment of the headboard effectively provides only a two-point connection with the bed frame and thus is subject to significant force moments at the point of connection caused by external forces applied to the headboard.

The potential weakness of the headboard connection under the stresses created by such torques places substantial limitations upon the design and materials of headboards which may be attached to a metal bed frame of the Hollywood type. One approach to this problem has been to use, in addition to the aforementioned metal end-plates, a headboard support which is clamped on the bed frame at one end of the support and bolted to the headboard at the other end, forming an angle brace. However, this clamp-on additional support means requires at least one separate two-piece metal component and a clamping mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is among the objects of this invention to provide a new and improved metal bed frame of the Hollywood type having a headboard support brace.

Another object is to provide a new and improved metal bed frame having a headboard support brace which is simply constructed and is permanently attached to the side rails of the metal bed frame.

Another object is to provide a new and improved metal bed frame having a headboard support brace which is inexpensive in construction and effective in operation.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a metal bed frame of the Hollywood type is constructed with a pair of elongated metal brace plates pivotally connected at their ends to the side rails of the bed frame and at a predetermined distance from the headboard end of said side rails. Each brace plate has an ear at the headboard end, with the plane of the ear oriented at a transverse angle to the plane of the plate. The length of the plate from the pivotal connection to the ear, and the transverse angle of the ear have such measures that the plane of the ear lies substantially in the plane of the headboard when it is positioned for fastening to the ends of the side rails, which themselves may have support plates. When the elongated brace plate is so positioned, an appropriate fastener may be applied through the ear to attach the headboard by way of the brace plate to the bed frame. In other embodiments, other forms of the invention may be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The foregoing and other objects of the invention, the

various features thereof, as well as the invention itself, may be more fully understood from the following description when read together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view ofa metal bed frame embodying this invention and having a headboard attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of a corner section of the bed frame of FIG. ll;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the headboard end of the bed frame of FIG. 1 in normal use attached to a headboard;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, in a folded condition for storage or shipment; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the headboard end of the brace ofa bed frame embodying a modified form of this invention.

In the drawing, corresponding parts are referenced throughout by similar numbers.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The metal bed fame 10 shown in FIG. I is of the Hol lywood type, having parallel side rails Ill and I2 of metal angles and cross members I4 and connected between said side rails. Such bed frames are often mounted on casters and carry a spring and mattress on the horizontal arms 40 of the side rail angles.

At the head end of said side rails Ill and I2 are a pair of vertical end plates 16 that are respectively fastened to the vertical arms 38 of the side rails 1111 and 12 and extend transversely to the side rails above and below the horizontal arms 40 thereof to form flat surfaces for bearing against the plane of the support legs I8 of headboard 20. Each of said vertical end plates has slots 22 for fasteners 23 that secure the headboard 20 to the side rails Ill and 12.

A pair of support braces 24, in the form of generally flat plates, are connected by means of pivot pins 26 at one end thereof to the vertical arms 38 of the side rails II I and 12. The other end of each brace plate 241 is bent along bend line 28 to form an ear 30, the plane of which extends substantially at right angles to the plane of the plate 24. Thereby, the pair of ears 3th form flat bearing surfaces for attachment to the legs R8 of headboard 20. But for the ears 3th, the plates are straight and narrow. Holes are provided in the ears 3t), and fasteners therethrough secure the legs 113 to the brace plates 24. The bend line 28 between ear 30 and flat plate 24 is at an angle 34 to the length of the plate 24'. This angle 34 is the complement of the angle 36 that the brace plate 24 forms with the side rail H2. The angles 34 and 36 may assume a range of values about a medial value of about 45, and these angles may vary depending on the actual installation with a headboard. Generally, angle 34 is chosen to locate ears 30 in the plane of headboard legs 18. Each pivot pin 26 is located at a distance 37 from the end of its rail Ill or 12, which distance is less than the length 35 of the plate 24 from the bend line 28 to the pivot pin 26.

In the stored or shipped condition of the bed frame, when a headboard is not attached to it, the brace plate 24 is pivoted in retracted condition as shown in FIG. 4, with the plate extending along the vertical arm 38 of the side rail angle and, due to its dimensions, nested inside of that angle so that the ear 30 does not protrude. In use, the angle brace 24 is pivoted back to the condition shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, with the ear 30 bearing against the leg 18 of the headboard so that the fastener 32 may be applied thereto for attachment and support of the headboard. In many headboard constructions, the attachment points for the vertical plates 16 are in the same plane as those for the ears 30 of the brace plates 24. This is the arrangement shown generally in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing. However, for various ornamental purposes, the headboard may be either recessed or projecting into a different plane at the points of attachment of ears 30. With the pivoted construction of the brace plates 24, a substantial tolerance is afforded in the ultimate positioning of plates 24 with the ears 30 against the headboard for attachment thereto.

The angular brace plates 24, when assembled as shown in FIG. 2, do not interfere with the normal use of the Hollywood bed. That is, the brace plates 24 overlie the bed spring which sits on the side rails 11 and 12, and the height of the assembled brace 24 is preferably less than that of the box spring so that it does not overlap the mattress atop the box spring.

The construction of the brace plate 24 is extremely simple since it is made out of flat metal stock narrower than the width of the vertical arm 38 of the side rails (e.g. about an inch or an inch and a half in in width) and relatively short (e.g. about six to eight inches in length). The pivot pin 26 may be a shoulder rivet or other simple construction of that type, and the fabrication requires merely the bending along bend line 28 and the forming of two holes, one at each end. Though simple in construction, the headboard is firmly supported by the struts formed by brace plates 24, and there is no interference with the normal use of the bed.

In a modified form of the invention, shown in FIG. 5, a construction is provided for hinged connection of the bed frame to the headboard as in the use of a headboard for attachment to a pair of twin beds. The brace plate 42 is formed as a flat, narrow plate which is pivotally connected at its lower end in the same fashion as shown in FIGS. 1-4, and at its upper end has a plate 44 fastened thereto and forming a hinged connection at hinge 48 to a second flat plate 46 which is fastened to the headboard. Thus, the plate 46 extends generally at right angles to the brace plate 42 in its normal use condition, and the brace plate 42 can pivot with the bed frame itself at hinge 48 when the bed is moved as is customary when it is being made up.

This invention thus provides a new and improved Hollywood bed frame with a headboard support brace which is simple in construction and permanently attached to the side rails of the metal bed frame. It is inexpensive in construction and effective in operation.

This invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above, and other forms of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the above description.

What is claimed is:

1. In a metal bed frame of the Hollywood type having parallel side rails, cross members connected between said side rails, means for fully supporting said bed frame on a floor, and means at the head end of said side rails for attaching a headboard thereto; the improvement in said headboard attaching means comprising:

a pair of metal braces pivotally attached at one end thereof to separate ones of said side rails,

each of said braces having at the other end thereof an car which includes a hole for attachment to said headboard, said ear extending in a plane transverse to the plane of said brace,

the line of intersection of said ear and brace planes being at a substantial transverse angle to the length of the brace less than a right angle, and said transverse angle being substantially the complement of the angle formed by said pivoting brace and said side rail when said brace is in such a position that the plane of said ear lies substantially in the plane of said headboard.

2. A metal bed frame as recited in claim I wherein the plane of said ear is substantially perpendicular to the plane of said brace.

3. A metal bed frame as recited in claim 1 wherein said brace is an elongated plate, and said car is bent from said plate at said intersection line.

4. A metal bed frame as recited in claim 1 wherein said brace is an elongated plate, and said ear is hinged to said plate at said intersection line for hinged connection of the bed frame to the headboard, whereby the Hollywood bed can be moved for normal maintenance.

5. A metal bed frame as recited in claim 1 wherein the point of pivotal attachment of each of said braces is spaced from the end of the respective side rail a distance less than the length of said brace.

6. A metal bed frame as recited in claim 1 wherein said side rails are metal angles for supporting a bed spring thereon, said braces are elongated, narrow plates of width less than that of the vertical arms of said side rails, and pivoted to said vertical arms inside said metal angles for nesting therein during storage. 

1. In a metal bed frame of the Hollywood type having parallel side rails, cross members connected between said side rails, means for fully supporting said bed frame on a floor, and means at the head end of said side rails for attaching a headboard thereto; the improvement in said headboard attaching means comprising: a pair of metal braces pivotally attached at one end thereof to separate ones of said side rails, each of said braces having at the other end thereof an ear which includes a hole for attachment to said headboard, said ear extending in a plane transverse to the plane of said brace, the line of intersection of said ear and brace planes being at a substantial transverse angle to the length of the brace less than a right angle, and said transverse angle being substantially the complement of the angle formed by said pivoting brace and said side rail when said brace is in such a position that the plane of said ear lies substantially in the plane of said headboard.
 2. A metal bed frame as recited in claim 1 wherein the plane of said ear is substantially perpendicular to the plane of said brace.
 3. A metal bed frame as recited in claim 1 wherein said brace is an elongated plate, and said ear is bent from said plate at said intersection line.
 4. A metal bed frame as recited in claim 1 wherein said brace is an elongated plate, and said ear is hinged to said plate at said intersection line for hinged connection of the bed frame to the headboard, whereby the Hollywood bed can be moved for normal maintenance.
 5. A metal bed frame as recited in claim 1 wherein the point of pivotal attachment of eAch of said braces is spaced from the end of the respective side rail a distance less than the length of said brace.
 6. A metal bed frame as recited in claim 1 wherein said side rails are metal angles for supporting a bed spring thereon, said braces are elongated, narrow plates of width less than that of the vertical arms of said side rails, and pivoted to said vertical arms inside said metal angles for nesting therein during storage. 